


Second Chance

by ChaunceyRae



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:40:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28933419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaunceyRae/pseuds/ChaunceyRae
Summary: Ashlinn woke up one day to find herself back in time by 15 years and in the world of a television show. Now she must come to terms with demons and ghouls as she fights to give her favorite characters the ending they deserve.
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've seen a lot of isekai web comics where a fan ends up in the world of her favorite book, and it got me thinking. What would I try to change if I was in the world of Supernatural? So here you go.

The smell of freshly baked banana bread wafted into Ashlinn’s bedroom as she groggily wiped her eyes. Sitting up and putting on her glasses, she looked around at the room in quiet amazement. It had been at least 10 years since she’d last seen these pastel green walls. She wondered if, and when, she’d get used to it.

Waking up 15 years younger in the hospital had been quite the surprise. Even more surprising is that everything had gone back in time. Her parents were still together. Her older sister hadn’t even graduated from high school yet. A yell from downstairs caught her attention, and she slowly got up and made her way downstairs. He was yelling again. After 8 years of not speaking to her father, she’d forgotten how his raised voice sent shivers through her body.

A door slammed as she descended the stairs. Her mother stood in the kitchen with her face in her hands. Ashlinn hesitated at the doorway. In the past she would have pretended not to see or gone back upstairs, but this was not the old Ashlinn. Her mother tried to hide the tears as Ashlinn quickly embraced her in a hug.

“It’s okay, Mom,” Ashlinn said and squeezed her mom tight. “It’s not your fault.”

After a moment of surprise, her mom returned the hug and said, “I just asked if he was still talking to that woman… maybe I should have waited. He’s been… worried since you went to the hospital.”

Ashlinn doubted that but said nothing. No doubt he was more worried about the hospital bill than her health. Her father was not a kind man, and she had no illusions about that.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” her mom asked worriedly as Ashlinn pulled away. “You were really hurt. Don’t overdo it.”

“I’ve been ‘resting’ for three months. I just want… to go on a walk outside.”

Her mom crossed her arms and gave her a measuring look. “Okay, but Caroline needs to go with you.”

Ashlinn wanted to argue but agreed. Caroline would most likely go off on her own to smoke anyway. She found her sister on the back porch, chatting with a friend on the house phone. How nostalgic.

“Hey, mom says I need you to come with me if I want to leave the house.”

“Oh, yeah?” her older sister asked mockingly. “Probably so you don’t end up in the hospital a second time this year. God, you’re so clumsy. Gina, can you meet me at the park in five minutes? Yeah, little superwoman wants me to take her for a walk.”

Ashlinn clenched her fist and took calming breaths. Hitting Caroline would only ensure she stayed inside for another 3 months. Feigning a smile, she watched Caroline look at her in confusion before taking the lead. There was silence as Ashlinn left her sister by the gazebo to take a walk around the lake. Her sister wasn’t a bad person, just a crappy teenager.

The wind in the trees calmed her nerves as Ashlinn slowly walked around the path. It had taken her months to accept her new reality. At first, she had freaked out so badly that the doctors had been worried about brain damage. She had fallen from the second story, so even she had considered it. However, the life she’d lived was still fresh in her head. She’d been able to predict her cousin being pregnant and her uncle’s death. No doubt her family believed it was coincidence.

At least school would be easy. She smiled thinking about high school algebra as she picked up a dandelion. Maybe she could graduate early. Then she’d be able to get away sooner. Guilt pricked her conscience as she thought about her younger sister and her mother. Could she leave them with him? A scream caught her attention, but she ignored it. Probably some kids getting too excited with their game. But then there was another scream.

Ashlinn could see a tall shadow approaching two young children and sprinted toward it. As she got closer, she realized something about the man was off. She considered running the opposite direction, but the children’s panicked screams convinced her to stay.

“Hey! Leave them alone!” her 13 year old voice was unconvincing even as she struggled to speak as tough as she could.

As the man turned toward her, her breath caught in her throat. He looked humanoid, but his features weren’t quite right. His skin seemed like it didn’t fit, and as he snarled at her, she noticed sharp teeth. The other children took the distraction and ran for safety. The creature turned to them as though debating whether he should go for them or her. He took a step in their direction.

“Hey, ugly! Leave them alone!”

With a hiss the creature ran for her. She barely had time to dodge behind some trees. The sound of snapping behind her made her turn around. A small tree fell to the ground as the creature crashed into it. Turning its eyes back toward her, it gave her a smile, once again showing off sharp teeth. Car doors in the distance seemed to make it change its mind about whatever game it was playing. Before she had time to react, it had snatched her off the ground and ran.

Ashlinn wiggled and thrashed, but her strength was nothing compared to this creature’s. She tried to figure out what it was as it ran through the woods. Part of her wanted to believe it was a rejected actor on PCP, but she suspected that wasn’t the case. A house loomed in the distance. It looked familiar even though she was sure she’d never been in this area. As it entered the dilapidated house, dust got into her eyes making it hard to see.

Ashlinn felt her heart drop as it walked down to the basement. For sure, this was where it planned to eat her. Part of the basement was flooded, and as she looked around, she couldn’t help but feel as though she’d seen it before. The sound of a car door slamming shut from outside made the creature throw her inside a wardrobe. It shut the doors with a menacing stare.

The creak of one of the stairs filled her with hope. Whispering outside the door was followed by the wardrobe door quickly opening. Ashlinn let out a small scream as she looked into the faces of Sam and Dean Winchester.

“What the hell?!” she said before movement caught her eye. “He’s under the stairs!”

As Sam and Dean turned their attention to the stairs as the creature bolted out from under the stairs. Dean tried to hit the creature with a taser but missed. The memories of this particular episode came flooding into Ashlinn’s brain as she watched the creature run to the flooded area of the basement. Dean would get electrocuted here. Dumb bitch.

“Take her and go!” Dean shouted at Sam, but Ashlinn stole the taser from Sam and ran to the flooded area. The creature tried to grab her, but she flung herself to the wet ground and rolled onto the dry pavement. Dean yelled at the creature, and Ashlinn aimed the taser.

“Hey, ugly!” she yelled as she backed up.

The creature roared and charged her, but she pressed the button. The electricity made the creature dance and scream before it fell to the ground. Sam ran up to her and took the taser from her shaking hands.

“Are you okay?” Sam asked as he put an arm around her to steady her.

“Freakin’ suicidal is what she is!” Dean yelled as he checked to make sure the creature was dead. “You could have gotten hurt! You could have died!”

“So could you!” Ashlinn snapped back. “Did either of you think about what could happen using a taser down here?!”

“You’re the one who pulled the trigger!” Dean argued back as Sam tried in vain to calm him down.

“Yeah, but I made sure we were both on the dry concrete. You wouldn’t have.”

“And how do you know that?!”

“Because that’s what you did, Dean!”

Dean and Sam looked at her with shock and confusion before she elaborated, “I know who you two are. Sam and Dean Winchester. You’re hunters… and brothers. Tonight you were going after a… rawhead, right? Sam would have taken me up the stairs and gave Dean the taser. Dean would have tried to stun the thing while both of them were in the water and given himself a heart attack. Oh, God, what’s happening right now?!”

“I don’t know. You tell me!” Dean yelled as his face’s horrified look echoed her own.

Sam gripped her shoulder and said, “Let’s get out of here for now. We’ll sort this out in a minute but not here, okay?”

Ashlinn nodded and saw Dean roll his eyes. Sam carefully helped her out of the basement and sat her down inside the back seat of the Impala. She took a second to breathe and buried her face in her hands. This might as well be her life now.

“So… how do you know about us?” Sam gently asked her as Dean started the engine.

“TV show… I… Okay, so this is going to sound really weird. I’m not sure I’ve accepted this as real yet.”

“Oh, honey. We know weird,” Dean replied, and Ashlinn peeked through her fingers to see Sam throwing him a dirty look.

“I’m 28 years old… or I should be. I woke up one day, and I was in my 13 year old body and in the hospital. I’d fallen from a window and nearly died… I did die for a few minutes actually…”

“So… you just woke up young? What’s that got to do with us?” Dean asked skeptically.

“I woke up 15 years in the past… there was a show I used to watch called ‘Supernatural’ which had two brothers who fought the monster of the week and got into trouble.”

“’Got into trouble’?” Dean asked mockingly clearly not believing her.

“With the law among other things. Let’s see… you should still be in season one, so… lady in white, wendigo, some ghosts, and a killer scarecrow. That’s not everything, but it’s pretty good, right?”

Sam turned to look at her before looking back at Dean, “That’s pretty specific, Dean.”

Dean’s face hardened, but he was clearly thinking about it.

“Not convinced? Okay. Your mother died in Kansas in a fire. Your dad had been hunting whatever did it ever since. You grew up going place to place with your dad. Sam’s got a little bit of rebel in him when it comes to your dad, but Dean is his ‘soldier’. And Jessica… something got her too. Now you’re trying to find your dad and avenge your loved ones. Did I miss something?”

“She could be a demon,” Dean said and gave her a look.

“You’d be dead. Demons are ridiculously strong, Dean. How else could one have opened the airplane door from the inside?”

Dean seemed to be looking for another argument, so Ashlinn turned to Sam with pleading eyes.

“I thought I was crazy too, but how else do you explain 15 years of memories? I know things will happen to my family before they do because I’ve lived this before. The only thing that’s been different is you two.”

Dean turned onto the main road and said with irritation, “Okay then. You still gotta go home. Which way?”

Ashlinn sighed and gave him directions. It was a lot to take in. And even if they did believe her so what. She was 13. It’s not like she could go with them. Her family would notice if she went missing, and it’s not like she knew for sure that things would go exactly the same as they had in the show.

“What’s going on?” Dean murmured, and Ashlinn looked out the window to see smoke billowing from the direction of her house.

Her breath caught in her throat as her house came into view. Flames engulfed the house and yard. Firefighters tried to put out the blaze as police waited further from the house. Sam got out of the car and helped her out. She ran to the officer.

“Where—where’s my family? Are they out? Please…” she could feel herself shaking as she fought to not let the panic flood her senses.

“Are you Ashlinn?” the cop asked sadly. “They’d just reported you missing. I was coming by to get a statement… I’m sorry, darling. We’ll know more after they put out the fire. Here, come sit by the ambulance.”

As Ashlinn sat down, she clutched her arms and watched the fire. Any second… they’d be coming out any second. She could faintly hear Sam explaining why they were with her as she watched. Dean sat beside her. It felt like he wanted to say something for a moment, but he just sat with her and watched. The flames yielded. A firefighter walked up to the cop and shook his head while speaking. Sobs erupted out of Ashlinn as she felt Dean’s hand wrap protectively around her shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

Ashlinn’s lungs felt as though they were on fire as Ashlinn stopped to catch her breath. Running this early in the morning wasn’t something she was used to, but it was better than laying in a bed and staring at the ceiling. Sleep had been in short supply. After her parents’ house burned down, Dean and Sam had tried to take her to a relative’s house. They’d went to her mom’s parents’ house first. Her grandfather’s car was in a ditch a mile away from the house. Ashlinn had watched in horror as people tried to pull her grandparents from the wreckage only for the car to burst into flames.  
At that point Sam had volunteered to take her with them, but Dean argued that the police had seen them and would be after them. Credit card fraud was less of a problem than kidnapping. Ashlinn told them her dad’s parents’ house was further away, but they’d get there by evening. What they had found there would haunt Ashlinn for the rest of her life.   
The front door had been open, and she immediately had known something was wrong. Her grandma had always been paranoid. The woman had owned a set of binoculars just to keep tabs on the neighbors. There was no way she would have just left the door open. Dean had seemed to pick up on her hesitation and had told her to wait in the car while they checked it out. As she’d waited, she had seen someone walking to the house from the woods.   
Her grandpa had carried a hatchet and walked toward the house with an eerie grin on his face. Ashlinn had practically fallen out of the car in her haste to get into the house before him. Her grandparents had been on the couch; the light had gone out in their eyes. Blood had covered the lime green sofa. Dean had started yelling at her but stopped when he saw the figure waving at him in the window. By the time, Dean got out the door; her “grandpa” had disappeared into the trees.  
After that, Sam had suggested going to Bobby’s, and that’s where she still was. Ashlinn could tell that Bobby was trying his hardest. He was a grumpy old man but a kind one. She felt weird staying at his house without giving him anything in return, but what else was she going to do?   
After her breathing went back to normal, she started jogging back through the salvage yard. Bobby was waiting on the front porch of the house. He looked up from his book as she approached the front door.  
“Don’t go wandering too far away,” he said curtly as he took a sip of his coffee. “I’d recommend just running laps around the salvage yard. You never know what could be hiding just out of sight.”   
“Thank you,” Ashlinn said with a small smile. “I… I just couldn’t sleep. I thought a run might… help.”  
Bobby gave her a quick nod, and she walked inside the house. She grabbed some clothes from the guest room and hopped into the shower. The warm water soothed her aching muscles. As she washed her hair, she tried to make remember where in the season they were. Last time she’d talked to Sam, she’d mentioned a city name that kept popping up in her head: Hibbing. Unfortunately, she had no idea what was going on there. With a sigh, she turned off the water and dried off. It was times like these that she wished she had rewatched the show, but it’s not like she had eidetic memory.   
The sound of a car door closing caught her attention as she quickly finished getting dressed. Sam and Dean’s voices echoed from the front porch where Bobby had been sitting. She opened the door to the brothers looking a little beat up. Sam gave her a smile when he saw her.  
“We found out what was going on in Hibbing.”  
Ashlinn was hit with a sudden realization as she remembered. “Was it… the Bender family?”  
Sam looked at her in shock as Dean spoke up, “You knew about those weirdos?! You could have saved us a lot of trouble if you’d just—.”  
Sam tried to covertly stomp on Dean’s foot and steered Ashlinn back in the house. “Just give us a minute,” Sam quickly closed the door behind them.  
Sam guided her to the couch where Ashlinn sat and looked at him guiltily.   
“I really didn’t know,” she quickly said. “I… didn’t remember what it was… just the name of the place.”  
“I know,” Sam said and sat beside her on the couch. “I believe you, but you’d tell us, right? If you knew something.”  
Ashlinn looked away and replied, “That would depend.”  
“Depend on what?!” Dean asked angrily as Bobby called out his name in warning. “You said you know things. You knew things about us when we met. So how come your memory’s failing you now?”  
“I’m not a goddamn savant, Dean!” Ashlinn snapped back. “I don’t know every damn episode of a show that was on for 15 years! I wish I could do better, but there are things that I can’t tell you.”  
“Why not?!”  
“Because,” Ashlinn took a deep breath before she continued, “Let’s just say that you were at a fork in the road, and I knew that if you went left, you’d fall and sprain your ankle. I could potentially save you some pain if I told you, right? Or maybe… in my moment of arrogance by telling you, I led you astray. Because you didn’t go that way you didn’t get where you needed to go. Maybe there’s a bear trap that you stumble into if you didn’t sprain your ankle. Maybe there’s an actual bear.”  
“But if it was life-threatening, you’d tell us, right?” Sam jumped in with an irritated look toward Dean.  
“If I remembered in time, then yes. But as I said, I don’t know every detail… and I already helped Dean.”  
“How?” Dean asked incredulously.  
“When we met. If you had been the one to fight that monster, you would have stood in the water when you tased it, getting shocked to death’s door. I told you about that healer, remember? The one whose wife was killing people in exchange for life for others. The healer would have saved you, Dean, but at the cost of someone else. You’d still be brooding as we speak.”  
“I… I don’t ‘brood’,” Dean whispered and looked to Bobby who rolled his eyes.  
“Even worse… there are things you still don’t know. And if they know that I know… then I might not be able to predict what’ll happen next. And there are some real bad things coming… and I need to know when they’re coming.”   
“How do you know that they already don’t know?” Sam asked. “Ashlinn… your family… That couldn’t have been a coincidence.”  
“If whoever did that knew that I was the one who knows their plan, then they would have used my family to trap and kill me. They wouldn’t have killed everyone at once.”  
“What about the shifter?” Dean chimed in.  
“I don’t know, but it didn’t specifically target me. I was alone in the car, and it went for the house first. Look… I’ve thought about what happened quite a lot since that day. The best way for me to know what’s going to happen is for me to be there. Maybe if I see things it’ll jog my memory, but I don’t know everything that’s going to happen. Just enough to make me terrified and paranoid.”  
“So you think you’ll know more if we take you with us?” Sam asked and looked to Dean.  
“Maybe it’s worth a try.”  
“Except for the things you don’t want us to know,” Dean said with an eye roll of his own.  
“Dean… if I thought that by telling you I’d help you, then I would in a heartbeat. But… it’s dangerous, Dean. And it’s not just demons behind this stuff… I want to help you, but I don’t want it to lead to me finding you dead because of something I said.”  
Ashlinn could feel the tears in her eyes. She looked at Dean, and he looked away with an irritated look.  
“Fine,” Dean finally said. “We can do a trial run. Let you come with us for a big one, but… you stay in the hotel. Got that?”  
Ashlinn nodded. She probably wouldn’t be allowed in the bars they frequented anyway. Bobby looked worried. Glancing at the table, Ashlinn smiled in relief at the talismans waiting there.  
“You already made them?”   
Bobby shrugged and said, “You said they’d need them, so I got busy.”  
Four anti possession talismans were on the table. If Ashlinn remembered correctly, these didn’t appear until after Sam got possessed. Having them early already felt like she was breaking some kind of rule.   
Bobby explained the talismans to Sam and Dean as Ashlinn tried to remember what came next. After the Benders, there was some shadow creature. She stood and paced the room as she tried to remember the details. Sam would meet Meg again, and it’d be revealed that she’s a sneaky bitch. But he didn’t get possessed then… right?   
Ashlinn was pretty sure he’d get possessed by her later, so why was she killing people now? Ashlinn’s eyes went wide as she remembered the reason: to set a trap for Papa Winchester. They could avoid this altogether. If she told Sam and Dean, then they could contact John. Then Meg would be the one trapped. But… the best they could do is exorcize her. Then she’d tell the YED. He’d know about Ashlinn. And that was the last person Ashlinn wanted to know.  
Ashlinn looked up to see Sam looking at her with concern. She explained, “I remembered something. It’s not much but… it might be something. Someone from Kansas dies mysteriously in Chicago. I don’t remember her name.”  
“Well, that narrows it down,” Dean whispered, and Bobby gave him a dirty look.   
“Go on,” Sam encouraged her.   
“I don’t think it’ll be today… maybe not for a while… I just know it’s in a newspaper, and you find it.”  
“Well, that’s a start,” Sam said with a smile.   
“Could I talk to you alone for a bit?” Ashlinn asked Sam.  
Sam nodded and gestured for them to go upstairs while Bobby and Dean were talking. Ashlinn quickly led the way to the room she was staying in. Closing the door behind them, Sam asked, “Anything you don’t want Dean to know?”  
“Well, not really… I just… I felt bad. When I was explaining things I knew about you, I mentioned Jessica… I… uh… I…”  
“It’s okay,” Sam said gently. “You were trying to convince us of something that’s crazy even by our standards.”  
“Yeah… and I just thought… it’s not your fault, Sam. None of it. I just wanted to make sure you know that. Especially after… Max.”  
Sam’s eyes went wide, and Ashlinn turned away.   
“You moved something with your mind, didn’t you?” Ashlinn asked and watched the color drain from Sam’s face. “I’m not saying you did a bad thing. And I’m definitely not telling Dean… The things happening to you aren’t your fault.”  
“What are they after? Why me?” Sam asked with a heartbroken look.  
“I can’t tell you that… yet,” Ashlinn said miserably. “Like I said… if things don’t go a certain way… everything could happen so much worse.”  
Sam nodded and looked away for a moment. Ashlinn slowly walked up to him and gave him a hug. It took him a second, but he returned the hug. She could feel how tired he was as though it emanated from him. Sam had no idea why he was being targeted or what to do about it.   
“I’m sorry, Sam. I really am just trying to help.”  
“I know,” Sam replied and gently pat her head. After a few moments, he stepped back and said, “Let’s go downstairs. They’re probably wondering what evil we’re plotting.”  
Ashlinn chuckled and followed Sam downstairs. Dean gave her a curious look but didn’t ask her anything as she sat on the couch. Bobby handed her one of the talismans. Ashlinn felt reassured by the touch of the cold metal. At least the demons would have to pry it off of her before they could possess her.  
“You can stay here until they get word of the mysterious death in Chicago,” Bobby said, surprising her. She’d been sure that Bobby would jump at the chance to have the house back to himself. Although being here would give her a chance to look through his books to try to find a way to keep Meg’s shadow demons from tearing her apart.  
“Okay. Sounds like a good idea,” Ashlinn agreed and watched Dean relax a little. Did he think she was going to insist on going? Despite her wish to keep Sam and Dean safe, she didn’t want to be a sacrificial lamb for them. She relaxed on the couch. The sounds of Sam, Dean, and Bobby talking in the kitchen helped her to relax, and soon the world around her began to go fuzzy as she drifted into a sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Ashlinn waited in the hotel room as she waited for the boys to return. They had just walked into Meg’s trap. The pangs of guilt had made it harder to sleep the past few nights, but if she had interfered in any way, Meg would have told her father. Azazel. The yellow-eyed demon. A shiver went up her spine just at the thought. The holy water sat on a nearby counter, but it would be useless against that particular demon. She just hoped that it would be effective on the daevas.   
The quiet around her made her more paranoid. As though something was outside lurking… waiting for the chance to get rid of her. She forced herself to stop pacing in the dark and sit on the ground. Looking at her preparations, she felt irritated that she couldn’t find any lore on killing the shadow demons. She had holy water, salt, and a couple of high-powered flashlights. If anything, this would hold them off.   
Ashlinn had considered following the boys and stealing the amulet off Meg, but that would also be going off-script. The boys would survive this. She couldn’t afford to draw attention to herself unless they were truly in danger.   
Dean and Sam would come back to the motel after the daevas “attacked” Meg. John would also be here at some point. They’d have a family moment, and then the daevas would attack, injuring John and the boys. Sam would then light a flare from his bag, giving them a chance to escape. The best Ashlinn could do is maybe keep John from getting hurt. At least that was the goal.   
Hearing the door being picked from the outside, she grabbed the salt. For a brief moment, she believed a monster would be coming in. John Winchester walked into the room and took a look around. After spotting her, he gave her a sheepish look and said, “Sorry, kid. Wrong room.”  
“No. You’re Sam and Dean’s dad, right?”  
John Winchester looked at her with a confused half-smile and shut the door quietly behind him. Even though he looked friendly, Ashlinn could tell he was testing her. Ashlinn reached into the bag of salt and threw some at him. No reaction besides mild annoyance. She wanted to relax, but she didn’t remember if salt affected Azazel.   
John brushed the salt off himself as she stood up. It was probably too early for Azazel to possess John. If he was possessed, then there was no reason for Meg to try to kill him. After he gave her a quizzical smile, she explained, “Just checking for demons. Bobby says you can never be too careful.”  
A look of recognition went across his face as he replied, “Ah… Bobby Singer. Paranoid as always.”  
“Rightfully so,” Ashlinn snapped back. “So Sam and Dean are on their way back?”  
“Ah, yeah, I believe so… so how do you know my boys?”  
“Sam and Dean rescued me from a Rawhead, and in return I kept Dean from getting fried by the taser he was planning on using. My name is Ashlinn… and I know who you are, John.”  
Ashlinn walked to the kitchen drawer to retrieve the rest of the salt. Better to start preparing now.   
“You do?” John asked with a suspicious glance at her. “How much did they tell you?”  
Ashlinn sighed as she picked up the flashlights and checked to make sure they worked. She replied calmly, “They didn’t tell me anything. I just know things… You probably won’t believe me if I tell you how I know, so I don’t want to waste my time… Plus you never know when something’s listening. It’s just better to follow my lead for the moment.”  
John was looking at her with a mixture of frustration and amusement. She knew it sounded weird coming from a teenager. No reasonable adult would just trust her, but he wouldn’t have a choice. Not when those creatures started attacking them. She put the flashlights on the counter and started making a salt circle that would protect the entire kitchen. She wasn’t sure if it would work, but it wouldn’t hurt.  
The sound of the Impala pulling up made her look up from her work. Soon after Sam and Dean walked into the room. Ashlinn continued making her salt circle as Dean and John hugged. Sam set down the bag before joining the other two. As Sam and John hugged, Ashlinn finished the larger salt circle and started making smaller ones inside the large circle. A shadow caught her attention, and Ashlinn jumped inside the circle. She let out a small yelp of pain and looking down to see a claw mark on her arm.  
Dean pulled her behind him, but that wasn’t any safer as the daevas circled the outside of the salt circle. Ashlinn looked for Sam’s bag. It had been tossed outside the salt circle. Picking up the flashlights and handing them to Sam and Dean, she told them, “Keep the light on me. I need to get the bag.”  
“Woah!” Dean said, grabbing her shoulder. “It looks like the salt’s working. Don’t do anything—!”  
The salt on the outermost circle started to sway as though wind was moving it aside. One of the daevas had picked up Sam’s bag and was tossing it around the room like a hot potato. Sam turned on the light. The daeva screamed as it dropped the bag, and Ashlinn grabbed Dean’s arm.  
“I’m the smallest. The flashlight should cover me as long as at least one of you keeps it on me. Trust me, Dean. I know what I’m doing,” Ashlinn said and looked into Dean’s eyes.   
Dean let go of her, and she grabbed the holy water and took a swig. She kept it in her mouth as she looked to Sam. With the light gleaming behind her, she ran for the bag. A scream from behind caught her attention. Sam had been grabbed by one of the daevas and dropped the flashlight. John quickly went for the flashlight as Ashlinn felt a cold claw grip onto her leg. Spitting out the holy water, she went for the bag as the daeva let out a scream. After lighting the flare, she dropped it in the center of the room.   
Ashlinn limped toward the door, trying not to breathe in the smoke, when she felt two large hands on her shoulders. Sam and Dean helped her stumble out of the room and toward the car. Suddenly they stopped as Sam and Dean argued about what to do next. Ashlinn took a moment to cough violently. They turned to her as she continued coughing. She’d inhaled far more smoke than she’d planned.   
After working most of it out of her lungs, she interrupted, “You two should head out. I’ll go with your dad… there are things he needs to know.”  
Sam looked like he wanted to argue with her, but his gaze focused on her leg. The daeva had sunk its claws in pretty deep. Ashlinn shrugged it off and asked, “You still trust me, right, Sam? I know I sound shady, but… there are things I can’t tell you yet. I promise as soon as I can I will, but please… for right now just trust me.”  
Sam sighed, but she could tell he’d let it go… for now. Ashlinn promised to get treated at Bobby’s. Sam gave his dad a long, frustrated look but got into the car with Dean. John helped Ashlinn climb into the truck and took off headed for Bobby’s. Ashlinn used her outer shirt to bandage up her leg as John drove.  
After a few moments of silence, John asked, “So… what do I need to know? And how do you know it?”  
Ashlinn sighed and allowed herself to relax into the seat. She told him about how she’d woken up in the hospital with memories of a different life. Still herself but different. She explained the show, the monsters, and the people he knows.  
John was quietly listening. Ashlinn doubted that he believed a word of it, but at least he was listening.   
“So you know who killed my wife?” he asked quietly.  
Ashlinn nodded and replied, “He’s powerful, John… I can’t tell you… If things stay on track, then Dean and Sam are safe… for a while at least. I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you anything.”  
Ashlinn watched as John’s hands gripped the wheel tightly. She looked down at the ground certain that he was going to try to order her to tell him.  
“If we can take him by surprise, then maybe…”  
“You could maybe delay things for a while, or you could make things much worse. Let’s say Dean or Sam try to rush in to save you… one of them could end up dead. Are you willing to give up your sons for a shot at revenge?”  
“No,” he grumbled with his hands still strangling the wheel. “How much can you tell me?”  
“I… I don’t know… and that’s part of the problem. I don’t even know if it’s safe to tell you what I’m telling you now. There’s more to it than a demon.”  
“How much more?”  
“A lot. Look, if I could tell you, I would, but I don’t know how much information it’ll take to create a worse future. I’m trying… but right now there isn’t a place where I’d feel comfortable giving you the information. As soon as they know that I know what I know, I’ll end up as blood-splatter on a wall.”  
“So… if you found a ‘safe place’ you’d tell me.”  
“Completely safe. No demon or monster could get in.”  
John scoffed and replied, “Well, you let me know when you find that magical place… Good things aren’t just going to land in your lap. If I were you, I’d be more proactive. Nothing changes if you don’t try.”  
“Nothing gets worse either,” Ashlinn muttered back, but her mind was already somewhere else.  
There was a place that demons couldn’t get into easily. The Men of Letters’ bunker. But she had no idea where that was. Plus John’s father currently had the key, and he was trapped in time for at least the next 7 years. But there were others, weren’t there? She could have sworn there were chapter houses.  
“I think I know a place,” Ashlinn whispered, and John glanced at her in surprise. “It’s going to be an epic pain to get into… or even find the location of it. But I might have a solution.”  
“Well, go on.”  
“I can’t.”  
Ashlinn didn’t even have to look at John’s face to feel the eye roll at her words. She continued, “I don’t want to jinx it. I’ll look into it with Bobby… if anyone can help me find it, it’d be him.”  
John nodded but looked like he still had questions. He seemed to be willing to watch this play out. Ashlinn considered how much she could tell him at the moment and realized that quite a few of his friends would die soon. Some by monsters and others by Meg.  
“Elkins… Pastor Jim… They die soon. Elkins gets killed by vampires, and Pastor Jim… a demon… in his church office, I think,” Ashlinn said in a low voice. Even just saying it out loud was giving her anxiety.   
“How soon?”  
“I don’t know… It’s not like each episode had a date… and even if it did, I wouldn’t remember something that specific. Just… I don’t know if you can save Elkins. He seemed like a paranoid hermit… But tell the pastor to paint a devil’s trap in his office. On the ceiling in that invisible blacklight paint. It’d give him a chance.”  
“I will,” John said with less frost in his tone. “I’ll try to talk to Elkins. I could at least warn him that I heard about a vampire sighting. How do they get him?”  
Ashlinn hesitated. She remembered him running back to his cabin to get the Colt. Telling John about the Colt might shift things too much. She said in a careful tone, “They find him at a bar and kill him at his cabin. I don’t remember much more than that.”  
John nodded and glanced at her. Clearly, he could tell she knew more than she was telling, but he’d have to deal with it. She couldn’t tell him too much now. It’d make Azazel switch his plans around if he knew someone knew about them. Clearly, someone had already been suspicious of her, and her family had paid the price.  
Ashlinn gripped the shirt around her leg. The pain was starting to sink in. No doubt the wounds would at least swell up. John stopped at a gas station and got out to get gas. He opened a back door and reached into the back seat and came out with a medical kit. Ashlinn flinched as he poured alcohol over her wounds. After her wounds were bandaged and the car was filled, John got back into the car.  
“Thank you for letting me know,” he said and started the engine.  
“If… when I find the place… I’ll let you know more,” Ashlinn promised, and he nodded his head. Ashlinn rested her head on the window as John turned on the radio. As the sound of music filled the silence, Ashlinn looked out the window and began to plan to stop the apocalypse.


	4. Chapter 4

Books were piled over every surface of her room. Finding anything about the Men of Letters was a daunting task; they’d hidden their tracks incredibly well. Throwing another book onto the “no” pile, Ashlinn took a moment to watch the rain fall onto the cars below her window.  
Ashlinn wondered if Ash had been any luckier. Despite how he acted, the man was a genius, and he had the power of technology and the internet on his side. Ashlinn only had access to Bobby’s books, and while they were informative, they lacked the information she actually needed. After grabbing a new book off of the counter, she sat on the bed and browsed through the next one. Flipping the pages, she chuckled as she remembered Ash’s initial reaction to Ashlinn’s information. While getting Ash onboard had been less difficult than she’d thought it’d be, Ash had still been skeptical at first. Of course, he’d been. Ashlinn didn’t blame him; after all, who would believe a teenager telling them about a secret society of supernatural researchers?  
The silence from Ash was making her nervous. About a week ago, Ash had called Bobby, saying that he’d found a lead, but they hadn’t heard from him since. Her hands shook as she set the book on the bed. Resisting the urge to call the Roadhouse and check on him, she curled up on the bed and looked back out of the window.  
Keeping herself busy was simply just a way to distract herself from the constant anxiety… and the grief. During the moments where she had nothing to do, she could feel her emotions bubbling at the surface. The pain… the anger… the panic… In one day, her family was gone. Anyone could be next… Dean… Sam… Ash… Ashlinn twirled the anti-possession talisman in her hand and tried to take calming breaths.   
Memories of the fire, the car accident, and the murder of her family gave the paranoia strength. Someone had wanted her entire family dead, but something told her that it probably wasn’t Azazel. Fire was certainly his MO. However… the shifter killing her family had seemed… messy. The yellow-eyed demon had a pattern. If anything, he would have had her remaining family possessed and destroy all of them at once. Sam and Dean would have left thinking that it was maybe a little suspicious. Killing everyone at once while the brothers were there would create more attention.  
Holding the talisman to the light, she could at least feel a little relief that Sam, Dean, and John also had one on hand. As John had dropped her off, Bobby had stiffly handed one to John. Ashlinn had recommended something better: a tattoo. Demons could take an amulet off. Taking someone’s skin off was a little more difficult. Not impossible… but difficult.   
An unfamiliar truck pulled up to the back of the house. Ash’s senses went on high alert until a familiar mullet caught her attention as Ash made his way out of the truck. Ashlinn got out of the bed and slowly made her way down the stairs. Bobby would likely want to test him first. As she came into the kitchen, she waved to Ash who was bandaging a cut. At least he wasn’t a shifter. Ash gave a nod in return before pulling an old notebook out of the leather bag he was carrying.  
“I found something… it’s not a lot, but it’s something,” Ash said as Ashlinn opened the notebook to find the owner’s name: Leonard Druitt. “There was an old retired hunter not too far from the Roadhouse. A lot of the folks in the area assumed he was just a paranoid, old man with a lot of fables. His children frequent our lovely establishment from time to time. I mentioned something to Jo, and one of them overheard. Apparently, before the old man had passed, he’d revealed the existence of a secret order: the Men of Letters. They only worked with the best hunters according to the old man, which is why his kids thought it was another tall tale. Jo won their dad’s notebook off of them for us.”  
“Well, tell her I said thank you,” Ashlinn murmured as she walked over to drawer to get the blacklight.  
“Aren’t they going to try to get it back?” Bobby asked irritably.   
“Not really. Didn’t seem to care much. Seemed to think the old man was a loon.”  
Ashlinn turned on the blacklight and flipped through the pages. Sure enough, hidden messages were on each page. “He was a clever man,” Ashlinn said confidently and showed Bobby and Ash the hidden messages.  
Ash started chatting excitedly about ciphers and took a closer look as Ashlinn couldn’t help but give Bobby a smirk. While Bobby had been more than accommodating, she could tell that he didn’t fully trust her… or at least her information. Being proven right felt good. With another look at the journal, Ashlinn’s brows furrowed.   
“Did those jerks ever mention a name? Like the name of one of the Men of Letters?”  
Ash took a break from his monologue to think back and answered, “Oh, not really… they said it was something like Albert but weirder.”  
Ashlinn sighed in frustration. She wanted more but had to admit that what they currently had was fortunate enough. Waiting for Ash to take a break as he fervently flipped through the pages, she wondered why he’d only appeared in a couple seasons. She knew that Ellen and Jo died. What had happened to Ash?  
“So you came all the way out here for just the notebook?” Bobby asked grumpily, clearly assuming something else was going on.  
“Um…,” Ash hesitated for a moment and scratched hid head nervously. “Well, actually it was Ellen’s idea. She wanted me to come by and offer the kid a place at the Roadhouse. It’s awesome there by the way… It was something about the little lady maybe being more comfortable staying with a woman. Not that she thinks you’re uncomfortable. Just… y’know.”  
Ashlinn smiled at Ash but replied, “Thanks for the offer, but… I’m pretty comfortable here. As long as Bobby will let me stay, I’ll stay here.”  
Bobby gave her a nod, and she could have sworn the old man had a slight smile on his face. Ash looked a little more uncomfortable.  
“And… hunting’s dangerous. She just wants to make sure everyone’s priority is to keep you safe.”  
Ashlinn put a hand on his arm and said with a smile, “That’s nice of her to say. I’m fully aware of my skills, and I have no inclinations to sprint into danger. Tell her that I’m incredibly grateful of what she’s offering, but it’s unnecessary. I’m staying here.”  
No doubt Ellen was worried that Ashlinn would get hurt like Ellen’s husband. The thought of the danger had crossed Ashlinn’s mind every minute of every day. Perhaps if she had come home to her family and everything had been fine, then she would have went on with her normal life. Maybe she would have pushed Sam and Dean to the back of her mind. After a while, it might have become a strange dream.   
That fire purged that option. Even if she tried to go back to a normal life, how long would she have before she ended up in flames? How long would she have before someone sent a monster to carve out her heart? And if the yellow-eyed demon caught her… how long could she hold out before he forced her to tell him everything she knew? No, this was where she needed to be.  
“Just… keep us in mind, ‘kay?” Ash said and headed for the door.  
An image of the Roadhouse burned to the ground flashed in her mind. That was how he died. Ashlinn grabbed onto his shirt and blurted out, “Pretzel run.”  
Embarrassed, she let go and said, “That’s the code. If I call you and say ‘pretzel run’, you get everyone out of there. I’m serious, Ash.”  
Ash looked like he wanted to ask questions, but the desperation in her eyes seemed to convince him. With a smile, he assured her, “Of course… if I say I’m thinking of ‘getting a haircut’, then y’all skedaddle, right?”  
Ashlinn chuckled and nodded. That would be very out of character for him. Ash pat her head reassuringly and said, “I’ll let you know what I find in the notebook.”  
“Thank you,” Ashlinn said, and Ash waved as he walked out the door.   
Ashlinn couldn’t help but chuckle as she heard “Dead Man Walking” fade into the distance. Bobby rolled his eyes at the music.   
“So… what’s your real reason for staying here?”  
“It’s where I need to be… I’m not looking for revenge. My family’s gone. Killing whoever did it isn’t going to bring them back, and I’m not selfless enough to devote my life to chasing down the menace to prevent someone else’s family from suffering the same fate. If I thought I could, then I would have went back to my old life. But… that’s probably just a dream. You checked on my aunts and uncles… are they gone too?”  
Bobby shuffled around uncomfortably before saying, “Yes, I did… They’re…”  
“Dead or missing,” Ashlinn filled in feeling a strange hollowness in her throat. It didn’t feel like Azazel’s doing. This felt… calculated but not in the same way. It was more like someone was purging her family from existence than aiming for her specifically. Was there something she didn’t know about her family in this world? Her family had seemed normal to her while she’d been recovering.  
“I know I’m not much of a talker, but if you ever need someone to listen… I’m here,” Bobby said awkwardly, but Ashlinn could tell it was genuine.  
“Thanks. Not right now but… thanks,” Ashlinn finished as she heard the sound of “Back in Black” getting closer to the house.  
“What does he want now?” Bobby asked grumpily as a car pulled in behind the house.  
Sam and Dean’s voices could be heard arguing as the music shut off. Bobby walked to the back door and let them inside. Dean gave Ashlinn a wave as he entered, and Ashlinn gave him a small wave in return. Ashlinn could tell he still didn’t really trust her information. At least he was more friendly now. Sam soon followed and smiled when he saw Ashlinn.  
“Find anything?” Sam asked in a low voice. Ashlinn had told him that she was looking into a secret society.   
“Yeah actually. Ash has been helping me.”  
“Ash?” Dean asked with a look of confusion.   
“Yeah, he works with hunters. He was able to find a hunter that knew about the secret society. Right now he’s working on decoding the journal.”   
Ashlinn could tell that both Sam and Dean were interested, even if Dean was pretending that he wasn’t. Sam gave her a look of encouragement, and she continued, “The journal had notes in invisible ink, but it was all in code. Ash can figure it out. I’m sure he’ll get back to me once he figures it out.”  
“So he lives nearby?” Sam asked and looked at Bobby.   
Bobby shook his head and replied, “Not really. The Roadhouse is about four hours away from here.”  
“And he drove all that way just to chitchat about a journal?” Dean asked with a scoff.  
“I suspect Ellen wanted him to check if I was really alright,” Ashlinn answered with a scowl at Dean. “She has good reason to doubt your dad.”  
“And why’s that?”   
“Her husband died while out on a hunt with him,” Ashlinn answered and watched Dean’s indignation turn to shock. “I’m not saying it was his fault, but… it’s not surprising that she’d want to check on a kid whose entire family has been dropping off the face of the Earth.”  
That shut Dean up. Ashlinn felt a little guilt for what she said, but it was true. Bobby went into the kitchen to answer a phone, and Dean followed him. Ashlinn walked out the front door and took a seat on the rocking chair. Sam followed her out onto the porch and sighed.  
“I’m sorry,” Ashlinn said, and Sam turned to her. “I know you want answers from your dad… and from me.”  
Sam sighed and took a seat on the chair in front of her. “I am frustrated… but not with you. You’ve lost more than my dad and me put together… It’s not your fault. We’ll figure this out.”  
Ashlinn nodded and replied, “My family… I don’t think it’s the same thing that has attacked your family.”  
“What do you think it is?”  
“I don’t know… and that’s what scares me. The shifter might have been just bad luck. Everyone else… either they died by fire or were burned after. There are a few creatures that use fire, but I don’t remember anything that would want to burn dead bodies except…”  
“Except hunters,” Sam finished quietly. “So you think this… secret society has something to do with it?”  
“Not really… that doesn’t matter. What I do know is that this secret society was able to stay secret for so long because of their abilities and knowledge. Knowledge is power, and safety is better than gold. If I can find one of their chapterhouses, then at least I’ll have a safe place.”  
“If it was so safe, why aren’t they around anymore? I don’t mean to discourage you, but… I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”  
“They died because they weren’t prepared for what they were up against. Because they only worked with ‘the best hunters’ and thought they were impervious to being blindsided. That’s the one good thing about being paranoid, Sam. Being comfortable just doesn’t suit me.”


End file.
